Urination device

ABSTRACT

A urination device including a collecting container, which has a cylindrical inlet connector projecting upward at an angle form a first end and an end wall at a second end with an outlet connector at a bottom edge, and a urine bag. An inlet hose, which opens into the urine bag, is connected in a detachable manner to the outlet connector, the collecting container has an essentially cylindrical hollow body with an inlet-side end wall and an outlet-side end wall essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the container and with relatively small dimensions. The cylindrical inlet connector in the inlet-side end wall is arranged to project upward from an off-center point on the wall, diagonally opposite a point where the outlet connector is installed in the outlet-side end wall. The inlet connector is no more than ⅓ a length of the collecting container and forms an angle of about 20° to the axis of the container. A top front edge projects radially beyond an edge of the body of the collecting container no more than slightly.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This is a U.S. national stage of application No. PCT/DE99/02854, filedon Sep. 9, 1999. Priority is claimed on that application and on thefollowing application: Country: Germany, Application No.: 198 41 278.9,Filed: Sep. 9, 1998.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a urination device of the type used by, forexample, bedridden and/or incontinent patients.

It is generally known that male bedridden patients in particular use aurine bottle to urinate in, this bottle being nicknamed the “duck”. Thebottle has a wide, relatively flat body, with a tubular neck or inletsection which extends upward at a steep angle. Aside from the fact thatthe rigid, wide body of the bottle is unpleasant to use in terms oftemperature and hardness and forces the patient to spread his legs outquite widely, the degree to which it can be filled is not optimal,because, when the bottle is full, its contents reach all the way up intothe inlet section, which means that the contents can easily spill out.Even if the bottle is only ¾ full, it must be pulled back and tippedvertically as it is being removed, because otherwise the contents willslosh out. The long projecting neck can be used as a grip so that thebottle can tipped downward and emptied.

DE 3,238,989 A1 describes a urination device which consists essentiallyof a relatively long urine line, to one end of which a drainless urinecollecting bag is attached. A catheter or an external urine collectiondevice such as a condom-like urine collector for men or a urinecollecting funnel for women is connected to the other end. To ensuregood flow through the relatively long urine line, a relativelycomplicated vent system is provided. So that the valveless bag can beemptied, its plug must be removed. Thus the urine which has entered thebag can escape from the device if it is improperly handled. In practice,the device can be used only in a preferably vertical position, that is,while the person is standing. Nor can the device be used more than once;it cannot, for example, be used during the night, set asidehorizontally, and used again without spilling the contents.

DE 297-00,124 U1 describes a urine bottle with a hose connector for (anysuitable) catheter bag and a hanger. The collecting container is anarrow cylinder, open at the top, which has at the other end afunnel-like shape leading to a hose connector in the center, to which acatheter bag is attached via a connecting hose. This known urinationdevice can be used only while the tube is in a vertical or only slightlytilted position, that is, only while the person is standing or possiblyalso while sitting, but not lying down.

The “urinal” described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,306 consists of arelatively long, slender, funnel-shaped collecting body with awedge-like stand for holding the collector at a slant, e.g., in bed. Along hose, which leads to a urine container, is attached to the narrowoutlet end of the funnel. A sample container can also be attachedbetween the funnel and the container. This known urinal is not suitablefor independent use by a bedridden patient.

Finally, D 93-17,372.5 U1 describes a urine bottle of the “duck” type,that is, with a relatively long, steeply upward-slanting,forward-pointing neck, of the conventional, bulky design. At the bottomdistal edge of the bottle, a small drain tube is attached, which isconnected to a long hose, which leads to or is inserted in a largecollecting container in a low position, e.g., under the bed. This urinebottle is suitable for use only by recumbent male patients withcontinuous incontinence, for which purpose it is equipped with a verywide bottom support surface. It is not suitable for convenient andreliable use by bedridden patients who are basically healthy but aresuffering only from slight incontinence after surgery or for use byhealthy individuals who are using the urine bottle during the night, forthe sake of convenience, for example. Especially because of its size andthe very prominently projecting neck, this bottle, too, is extremelyinconvenient to handle and is also unreliable. This bottle cannot beeasily carried along on trips without taking up a great deal of space,nor can it be used in a motor vehicle or by handicapped wheelchairusers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The task of the invention is therefore to provide a urination devicewhich is simple, hygienic, and reliable in design and handling, whichallows independent reuse by the user himself without intermediateemptying, and which especially can be taken along and used on trips withoptimum convenience.

Accordingly, the urination device according to the invention consists ofa collecting container, which is designed as an essentially cylindrical,hollow body with two end walls essentially perpendicular to itslongitudinal axis. In addition, the collecting container has relativelysmall dimensions, preferably a diameter of approximately 70 mm and alength of approximately 150 mm. The inlet connector, furthermore, is nomore than ⅓ the length of the body of the collecting container and isdiagonally opposite the attachment point of the outlet connector, thusbeing off-center toward the top and tilted by an angle of only about 20°to the inlet-side end wall, the upper front edge of the inlet connectorprojecting no more than slightly in the radial direction beyond theupper edge of the body of the collecting container. As a result, acollecting container is provided which is relatively small and handy, sothat it is extremely easy to manage and can be packed and taken along ontrips without taking up much room.

Finally, to serve as a holding container, a flat, soft, flexible urinebag, known in and of itself, is connected in an easily attachable anddetachable manner to the outlet connector of the collecting container.Thus at least a large percentage of the. urine flows immediately intothe urine bag right during the urination process itself; then, byholding onto the collecting container and raising the urination device,it is possible to ensure that virtually all of the rest of the urinewill flow into the urine bag, which is provided with an inlet valve.Then the entire urination device can simply be set down on a horizontalsurface without fear that even a single drop of urine will spill out orotherwise escape.

It is especially advantageous to provide an easy-to-grasp, upward-projecting positioning nipple at the top edge of the inlet end of thecollecting container body, that is, at the edge which is at the top whenthe device is being used. This has the effect of ensuring that thecollecting container and thus the entire urination device are always inthe correct position when used, that is, that the inlet connector willbe at the top and the outlet connector at the bottom. This guaranteesoptimal inflow and outflow of the urine and eliminates the danger ofspillage.

It is also advantageous to reduce the length of the inlet hose of theurine bag to a length of no more than 10 cm and to push this hosedirectly onto the outlet connector of the collecting container, thisoutlet connector being designed as a hose connector with an outsidesurface which tapers down either conically or in a series of step-likegraduations.

Between the outlet connector and the urine bag (or the short inlet hoseof the urine bag) it is advantageous to provide a soft, elasticconnecting hose, which is itself no more than 10 cm, preferably no morethan 5 cm, long. In this case, the inlet hose of the urine bag, which isusually relatively stiff, can be shortened by half again, that is, toapproximately 5 cm or less; a hose adapter which is known in and ofitself and which is usually one of the standard accessories that comewith the bag is pushed onto its free end. The soft, elastic connectinghose attached to the other end of the adapter gives the connectingsection between the collecting container and the urine bag a very highdegree of flexibility. As a result, the collecting container can betipped or pivoted slightly toward the urine bag, which is highlyadvantageous during use and also later, when the urination device islifted vertically and set aside.

It is especially advantageous for the flow route between the collectingcontainer and the urine bag to have an open cross section ofapproximately 8 mm all the way along. This ensures that, duringurination, virtually all of the urine flowing into the collectingcontainer flows out again immediately through the outlet connector,passes through the hoses, and arrives in the urine bag, so that, whenthe urination device or the collecting container is removed afterurination there is no danger of spillage, because there is hardly anyurine left in the collecting container to spill. The small residue whichremains can be sent in its entirety to the urine bag simply by raisingthe collecting container slightly in the vertical direction.

It is also advantageous for the urine bag to have an inlet valve and anoutlet valve known in and of themselves and for the outlet valve to bedesigned as a rotating one-way valve like a water faucet with atransverse handle. As a result, it is guaranteed that the urine from theurine bag will not flow back out through the hoses into the collectingcontainer. The user can therefore be certain that, after he has held theurination device so that it is hanging vertically from the collectingcontainer, all of the urine has run into the urine bag and that it willbe unable to flow back out of it, even if he sets the device downhorizontally or even upside down. Before the urination device is put touse, furthermore, it is easy to tell from the

position of the actuating cock of the outlet valve whether or not thevalve has been properly closed, so that the unwanted escape of urinefrom the urine bag is reliably prevented.

In addition, the body of the collecting container can be provided with aconically expanding section on the inlet side, or the whole containercan taper gently down conically toward the outlet. In addition, theoutlet-side end wall of the collecting container can bulge slightlyoutward to form a funnel, leading in the direction of the outletconnector, which has the effect overall of ensuring the fast andreliable outflow of urine from the collecting container down to the lastdrop.

In addition, the inlet-side end wall can be given a slant of about5-10°, so that the top of the end wall is farther toward the rear; theinlet connector is therefore also set back slightly. This improvesconvenience even more and also increases in particular the resistance totipping.

During use, the collecting container of the urination device is held bythe supine person at an angle of preferably about 30° to the plane ofthe surface on which he or she is lying or being supported, whereas theconnecting hose, the hose adapter, the bag hose, and the urine bag canassume a position between the legs of the user as a linear extension ofthe collector. The urine bag will thus lie flat on the support surface,and the connecting hose will be curved elastically.

When the urination device is put into service, the collecting containerwith the urine bag will be put between the legs, with the containertoward the front and the bag resting flat on the sheet. The collectingcontainer, provided that it has been set down in the correct position,that is, with the positioning nipple pointing upward, is held in thecorrect vertical position by the wide, flat urine bag and the very shortconnecting hoses. The user then grasps the inlet connector and raisesthe container, for safety's sake verifying again by checking the nipple,which must be pointing directly upward, that the urination device as awhole is in the correct position. The male member is now inserted intothe inlet connector. Because of the slightly slanted position of thecontainer, it is ensured that the urine will flow immediately into thebag. It must, of course, be previously noted or checked that theshut-off cock of the outlet valve on the bag is closed. After the userhas finished urinating, the collecting container is pushed back a bit,tilted upward and raised, so that the very last residue of urine flowsout of the collecting container and into the urine bag. Then the deviceis set aside without fear that even a single drop of urine will spill.If the user is suffering from mild incontinence, for example, he can setthe urination device down onto a spot within arm's reach of the bed orhang it from the bed and use it again several times in succession duringthe course of the night without having to empty it and clean it eachtime. It can be emptied and cleaned in the morning, when convenient,after getting up.

The use of the urination device according to the invention in a carefacility or hospital setting also means that the amount of work requiredof the personnel, who are usually overburdened, can be significantlyreduced. For example, patients who are bedridden after surgery, but whocan easily manage the urination device according to the invention bythemselves, can be given their own urination device, which they then canproceed to use as needed. The personnel can collect the used urinationdevices at some point during the work day or as needed and replace themwith new ones. Thus the bedridden person is given the security andsimultaneously the satisfaction of being able to urinate without havingto wait until a care giver responds to the bell and comes hurrying inwith a urination duck.

The design can be made even more compact and user-friendly by extendingthe inlet connector so that it projects into the interior of thecollecting container. Thus a much greater length of the inlet connectorrests in or on the container. The connector part projecting outward fromthe end wall on the inlet side can also be shortened, as a result ofwhich a design even more resistant to tipping and even more compact isobtained.

The shape of the inlet connector can be designed to suit either a maleuser or a female user. For male users, a straight or slightly tilted orbackward-slanted end wall is provided on the inlet side. For femaleusers, the end of the connector on the inlet side is designed to projectat the top and at the bottom and to have a recess in the intermediatearea which curves in the axial direction, conforming to the femaleanatomy. Thus two different design variants of the collecting container,i.e., a male collecting container and a female collecting container, canbe provided.

It is also possible, however, to provide only a single collectingcontainer for both sexes, in which case an inlet adapter is used, whichcan be designed in different ways.

Thus, a collecting container with a male inlet connector can be used asthe base unit. A tubular, female inlet adapter can be pushed into thisinlet connector up as far as an axial stop. This inlet adapter has theappropriate female contour at the end which projects out of the inletconnector after it has been pushed in. Thus, a male urination device canbe converted quickly and easily into a female urination device. This isespecially advantageous when both male and female persons are intendedto use the same device, and the convertibility also represents a costsavings.

A highly advantageous embodiment of the invention is obtained when theinlet connector is designed as a very short retaining collar, in or onwhich a cylindrical, replaceable inlet adapter is mounted. This inletadapter can be designed in different ways.

Thus, for one container, two inlet adapters can be provided, namely, afemale and a male adapter, which can be inserted into the retainingcollar as needed. In particular, the male adapter can also be designedin such a way that it is long enough on the insertion side that itextends relatively far into the interior of the container, as a resultof which the inlet connector designed in this way acquires a greaterinsertion length or horizontal support length. Because this inletadapter can be easily pulled but again, however, after which only therelatively short retaining collar remains, the interior of the containercan also be more easily washed or cleaned out than in the case of apermanently attached inlet connector projecting into the interior of thecontainer.

The inlet adapter, however, can also be designed as a dual inletadapter; that is, one end of the adapter has a male design and the otherend a female design. In this way, a single urination device or a singlecorresponding collecting container can be provided with an adapter ofthis kind, which can be easily and quickly converted to suit users ofdifferent sexes and which in addition makes it possible for the deviceto be cleaned more easily and more safely. It is obviously advantageoushere also to provide a device for locking the adapter onto the containeror on its inlet connector or retaining collar. This guarantees that, ifthe collecting container is picked up only by the adapter, the containercannot fall off before the last residue of urine has drained out intothe urine bag. It is also a good idea to provide a positioning devicefor the adapter also, so that, especially for use by females, thecorrect orientation can be guaranteed.

It can also be advantageous for the collecting container to be designedin two parts. The inlet-side end wall, with the inlet connector mountedon it, can be designed as a cap, whereas the essentially cylindricallateral surface of the container with the outlet-side end wall and theoutlet connector forms the second part of the container. As a result, adesign which is especially easy to clean is obtained, but appropriatemeasures must be taken to ensure that the cap is attached in awater-tight manner but still in a manner which is quick, easy, andreliable.

The cap can be designed simply as a disk or, like the lid of a can, itcan have a short cylindrical rim, which surrounds the inlet side of thecylindrical body to form a seal or is pushed into the interior of thebody, simultaneously forming a seal. Any known type of lid attachmentmethod, such as those known for can lids, can be used. But it is alsopossible to connect the cap by means of a screw joint or a bayonetjoint.

The urination device according to the invention can be used not only byincontinent persons who are bedridden in the postoperative state orbecause of some disease, but also very successfully by people inwheelchairs and even by highly stressed drivers, who either cannot orwill not leave their vehicles.

Of course, the urination device according to the invention can also beused for continuously incontinent patients, in which case a supportwedge should be provided, which is used to hold the collecting containerat an angle of approximately 30°. In addition, the urine bag in thiscase should be connected to the collecting container by a hose ofappropriate length and set up somewhat lower down than the plane of thebed, so that the continually dripping urine will be able to flowcontinuously onward into the urine bag. The urine bag can be hung byappropriate devices from the bed frame or laid vertically in anappropriate pocket or basket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in greater detail in the following on thebasis of several exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a complete schematic diagram of the urination device withall of its essential individual parts;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a detail in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a first design of a collecting container forthe device according to FIG. 1:

FIG. 4 shows an end view looking in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows an end view looking in the direction of arrow V of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the device according to FIG. 1 in ahorizontal, resting situation with a collecting container of a seconddesign and with direct connection between the urine bag and the hose;

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the device according to FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 shows a view like that of FIG. 6 with the collecting containerand connecting hose in the raised position ready for duty;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a collecting container according to thesecond design;

FIG. 10 shows an end view looking in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows an end view looking in the direction of arrow XI in FIG.9;

FIG. 12 shows a partial cross section along line XII—XII of FIG. 9,illustrating the funnel-shaped bulge in the outlet-side end wall;

FIG. 13 shows a partial side view of a collecting container according toFIG. 9 with a female inlet connector;

FIG. 14 shows a partial side view of a collecting container according toFIG. 9 with a male inlet connector and an inserted female inlet adapter;

FIG. 15 shows a vertical cross section through a collecting container onthe inlet side in a design with a short retaining collar and a maleinlet adapter;

FIG. 16 shows a cross-sectional view like that of FIG. 15 but with afemale inlet adapter;

FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view like that of FIG. 15 with a maleinlet adapter of a different design; and

FIG. 18 shows a partial cross-sectional view like that of FIG. 15 with adual-gender, convertible dual inlet adapter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the urination device according to theinvention consists in general of an essentially cylindrical collectingcontainer 1, to which a standard commercial urine bag 20 is attached inreplaceable fashion by hose connecting elements 21 known in and ofthemselves. The hose connecting elements 21 consist here of a very shortinlet hose 22 of the standard commercial urine bag, which opens out intothe bag via an inlet valve 23, usually a lip valve. At the free end ofthe hose 22, a hose adapter 24 is pushed on, which is usually sold alongwith the urine bag and which is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. A soft,elastic connecting hose 27 represents the flexible connection betweenthe adapter 24 and the outlet connector 4 of the collecting container 1.The urine bag 20, however, can also be attached directly via the freeend of the inlet hose 22 to the outlet connector 4 of the collectingcontainer, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Because the inlet hoses of theurine bags are not usually very flexible, however, it is recommendedthat a short, soft, connecting hose 27 be inserted in between. Theoutlet hose 28 of the urine bag 20 is provided with a one-way, rotatingoutlet valve 29, which has a cock 30 with a handle, so that it is easyto tell whether the valve is in the open or in the closed position. Thecollecting container 1 consists essentially of a cylindrical body 2,which has an outlet connector 4 at one end and an inlet connector 3 atthe other end, which are located diagonally opposite each other,off-center, as will be explained in more detail in connection with FIG.3.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the hose adapter 24 has at one end a hose bush25, onto which the inlet hose 22 of the urine bag is pushed. At theaxially opposite end is a hose connector 26, onto which the soft,elastic connecting hose 27 is firmly pushed.

FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of the collecting container 1, which ispreferably made of rigid plastic, and which consists essentially of atubular body 2 (with approximate dimensions of*60×100 mm) with aconically expanding section 9 (approximately*60/65×53 mm). The body 1,however, can also be designed to taper gently as a whole in conicalfashion, as in the case of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 9.At the top of the section 9 there is a positioning nipple 5, which isused for orientation when the container 1 is being used. The dimensionsof the collecting container are thus very small in comparison to thoseof the known collecting containers; a body diameter of approximately60-90 mm and a body length of approximately 130-200 mm, preferably 150mm, have been found to be extremely convenient. On the end wall 6 on theinlet side, an inlet connector 3 (approximately*45×45 mm) is attached atan angle of approximately 110° to the end wall; this connector is in anoff-center position, i.e., its axis is shifted radially upward, and ithas a bevel 8 on the end surface, as is easy to see in the end view ofFIG. 5. On the outlet-side end wall 7 there is a hose connector 4(approximately*10/8×30 mm), which is off-center toward the bottom insuch a way that the bottom surfaces of the inside openings of thecontainer body and the outlet connector are essentially in alignmentwith each other, as can be seen in the end views of FIGS. 4 and 10.

FIGS. 6-8 show the urination device in the position it is in when it isbeing used.

Thus FIG. 6 shows the device lying flat on a flat support surface 10; itcan be seen that the other components following along after thecollecting container 1, namely, the connecting hoses 21, 22 and theurine bag 20, are also resting flat on the surface.

It can also be seen from FIG. 6 that the relatively wide urine bag 20,especially because of the short length of the connecting hose, whichconsists here merely of the inlet hose 22, simultaneously serves as aposition stabilizer for the container 1. That is, when the urine bag 20is laid flat on a level surface or on the support surface 10, it holdsthe container 1 firmly in the inserted position via the hose connection21. Therefore, when the two main components, namely, the collectingcontainer and the urine bag, are connected to each other by the hoseconnecting elements, it is very important that the two parts be in thecorrect position with respect to each other.

FIG. 8 shows the device in the active use position, that is, with thecollecting container 1 being held at an angle of approximately 30°. Theelastic connecting hose 27, which, as also shown in FIG. 1, is insertedbetween the urine bag inlet hose 22 and the container outlet connector4, is what makes it possible for this angled position to be assumed withpractically no resistance. It is easy to see that the angle can befreely selected by the user as needed; simply because human bodies comein different sizes, different angles might have to be chosen. Inaddition, a smaller angle must be chosen when the device is to be usedby a female user.

In the case of the additional exemplary embodiment of the collectingcontainer 1 shown in FIGS. 9-12, it can be seen; first, that the entirebody 2 is slightly conical, the side 11 which makes contact with thesupport surface being slightly flattened. This flattening is wider atthe inlet end and narrower toward the outlet end, by which point it hasbecome completely round, as can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11.

It can also be seen from FIG. 9 in conjunction with FIGS. 10 and 12 thatthe outlet-side end wall 7 has a rounded or bulging area, which extendsin one direction toward the outlet connector 4, so that a shape similarto half of a shallow funnel is produced. The outlet connector isdesigned so that the lateral surface sections of the connector opening15 on the outlet side are aligned with the surfaces of the opening 12 onthe inside of the container body 2.

As can be seen from FIG. 9, furthermore, the inlet connector 3 has anextension 14, which projects into the interior of the container. Theextension 14 here has a bevel proceeding down from the top, so that atrough-like contact wall is present chiefly at the bottom. It is alsopossible for this extension of the inlet connector to be in the form ofcomplete cylinder or in the form of just the lower half of theconnector, i.e., in the form of a trough.

Additional embodiments of the inlet connector, i.e., of the inlet sideof the connector, are shown in FIGS. 13-18.

Thus, FIG. 13 shows an inlet connector 13, the end 8 of which conformsto the female anatomy. That is, a curved recess is cut into the endproceeding in the axial direction, symmetrical to a line passinghorizontally through the center of the connector.

FIG. 14 shows the inlet-side end of a collecting container 1 with a maleinlet connector 3, into which an adapter 16 has been inserted, which hasa female inlet connector part 13 at its outer end. Thus a male urinecontainer can be quickly and easily converted into a female one.

FIGS. 15-17 show exemplary embodiments in which, instead of the longerinlet connector 3, 13, there is only a relatively short retaining collar17 present, which plays here merely the role of a receptacle or holderfor different inlet adapters.

Thus, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, a male adapter 18is provided, which has a stop ring 19 on its outside lateral surface.Instead of a complete ring, it would also be enough to provide a singlestop pin or knob instead. This adapter 18 has a conical expansion,serving as an guide bevel 32, on the inlet end, whereas the other end ofthe adapter projects essentially in the form of a trough 33 into theinterior of the container.

FIG. 16 shows that the female adapter 16, also shown in FIG. 14, can beused not only for collecting containers with a male outlet connector 3but also for collecting containers with a short retaining collar 17. Inaddition, a positioning aid 34 is also suggested in the drawing, whichcan consist of a pin cooperating with a corresponding slot, so that theinlet end is always positioned correctly. A positioning pin of this typeis also to be provided in the other exemplary embodiments with an inletadapter, insofar as the ends of these adapters are made asymmetric ornonperpendicular to improve their function.

FIG. 17 shows an adapter 35, the inlet end of which consists merely of aflanged rim 31, which surrounds the retaining collar 17. In this case,the other end of the adapter 35 projects relatively far into theinterior of the container and thus represents a good support surface forthe male organ, although on the inlet side, measuring from theinlet-side end wall 6, there is only a short stump, somewhat longeroverall than the retaining collar 17, projecting out from the wall. Thusan especially short, compact design is obtained, which virtuallyeliminates the danger of tipping. The danger of spilling is also almostcompletely eliminated, because, as a result of the dual-tube design onthe inlet side, any small residues of urine which may still remaincannot flow directly out over the series of steps thus formed.

Finally, FIG. 18 shows a dual adapter 36, which has a female inletconnector 13 at one end and a male inlet connector 3 at the other end,which are separated by an appropriate stop 19.

When inlet adapters are used, an attachment device (not shown) canobviously be used also to hold the adapter firmly on the retainingcollar 17, for example, so that, if the user were to mistakenly grip thecollecting container by the adapter in the attempt to lift thecontainer, the adapter will not come loose from the container and thecontainer will not fall.

Thus, while there have been shown and described and pointed outfundamental novel features of the present invention as applied to apreferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that variousomissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of thedevices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinationsof those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially thesame function in substantially the same way to achieve the same resultsare within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements fromone described embodiment to another are also fully intended andcontemplated. It is also to be understood that the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale but that they are merely conceptual innature. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicatedby the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A urination device, comprising: a collectingcontainer having an essentially cylindrical hollow body with aninlet-side end wall and an outlet-side end wall essentiallyperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the container and having a bodydiameter of about 60-90 mm and a body length of about 130-150 mm, thecollecting container further having a cylindrical inlet connectorprojecting upward at an angle from the inlet-side end wall and an outletconnector at a bottom edge of the outlet side end wall, the cylindricalinlet connector at the inlet-side end wall being arranged to projectupward from an off-center point on the wall, diagonally opposite a pointwhere the outlet connector is installed in the outlet-side end wall, theinlet connector being no more than ⅓ a length of the collectingcontainer and forming an angle of about 20° to the axis of the containerso that a top front edge of the inlet connector does not projectradially substantially beyond a top front edge of the hollow body of thecollecting container; and a urine bag having an inlet valve, aswitchable outlet valve and an inlet hose, the inlet hose beingdetachably connected to the outlet connector of the collectingcontainer, the inlet hose having a length of no more than 10 cm.
 2. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein the collecting container has adiameter of approximately 70 mm and a length of approximately 150 mm,the inlet connector having a diameter of approximately 45 mm and alength of approximately 45 mm.
 3. A device according to claim 1, whereinan upward-projecting, easy-to-grip positioning nipple is arranged on atop edge of the inlet end of the collecting container body when thedevice is positioned, for use.
 4. A device according to claim 1, whereinthe inlet hose of the urine bag is pushed directly onto the outletconnector of the collecting container.
 5. A device according to claim 1,and further comprising a hose adapter pushed onto a free end of theinlet hose, and a connecting hose between the outlet connector and oneof the urine bag and the hose adapter, the connecting hose having amaximum length of 10 cm.
 6. A device according to claim 5, wherein thecollecting container is at an angle of approximately 30° to a plane of asupport surface during use so that the connecting hose, the hoseadapter, the bag inlet hose, and the urine bag rest between legs of auser as a linear extension of the collecting container, the urine bagresting flat and the connecting hose being elastically curved.
 7. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein a flow route between the collectingcontainer and the urine bag has a continuous open cross section of about8 mm.
 8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet valve of theurine bag is a rotating one-way valve with a transverse handle.
 9. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein the body of the collectingcontainer has a conically expanding section on the inlet end, the outletconnector being a hose connector with an external surface which tapersdown one of conically and in graduated steps.
 10. A device according toclaim 1, wherein the body of the collecting container has an overallslight conical taper, the outlet connector being a hose connector withan external surface which tapers down one of conically and in graduatedsteps.
 11. A device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet-side endwall of the collecting container has a slightly funnel-shaped bulgepointed toward the outlet connector, and the inlet-side end wall isslanted at an angle of about 5-10°.
 12. A device according to claim 1,wherein the inlet connector is configured to extend into an interior ofthe collecting container.
 13. A device according to claim 1, wherein thecollecting container is formed in two parts, including a first partformed by the inlet-side end wall with the inlet connector, and a secondpart formed by an essentially cylindrical lateral surface of the bodywith the outlet-side end wall and the outlet connector, the first partbeing detachably attached as a cap in a water-tight manner to the secondpart.
 14. A device according to claim 13, wherein the cap has a short,cylindrical rim, which surrounds the inlet side of the cylindrical bodyto form a seal with it.
 15. A device according to claim 1, wherein theinlet connector has one of a straight and slightly slanted end surfaceon the inlet side so as to accommodate male users.
 16. A deviceaccording to claim 15, and further comprising an essentially cylindricaltubular female inlet adapter which is pushable into the male inletconnector as far as an axial stop so that after the female adapter isinserted into the inlet connector, an end projecting from the inletconnector has a shape which conforms to the female anatomy.
 17. A deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein a very short retaining collar is providedas the inlet connector in the inlet-side end wall, an essentiallycylindrical dual inlet adapter being inserted one of in and on thecollar in a replaceable manner.
 18. A device according to claim 17,wherein the dual inlet adapter can be mounted one way in the retainingcollar and also flipped 180° and mounted another way, with a femaledesign at a first end and a male design at a second end, and which hasan external positioning and gripping ring essentially in a center.
 19. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein a bottom support side of thecollecting container is formed as a narrow, flattened support surface.20. A device according to claim 1, wherein the inlet connector has anend surface configured to project at the top and at the bottom and anarea in between the top and bottom being recessed in an arc shapecorresponding to female anatomy so as to accommodate female users.